Gems of Chinese Classics（英文）（Ancient Chinese Wisdom）(中国历史著述)

本书由上海文化发展基金会图书出版专项基金资助出版。

本书通过优美流畅的语言向读者介绍了中国古代具有影响力的历史著述，每篇都配有生动有趣的插画，并附赠以作者手绘画稿制作而成的精美书签一份。

 

在中国的历史长河中，经典著述对国家的形成、人民日常生活的影响起到了至关重要的作用。本书每篇短文介绍一本经典著述，时间跨度3000余年，内容包含了医学、数学、军事谋略、宗教、文学以及艺术、游记等。
Throughout China’s long history, classic texts have played a vital role in shaping the country and influencing the daily lives of its people. 
In this series of short articles, we introduce classic texts spanning more than 3,000 years and covering everything from medicine, mathematics and military strategy to religion, literature, arts and travel.  

张慈贇，国内资深英文媒体人，高级编辑，享受国务院政府特殊津贴。自1980年起，参与《中国日报》创办，曾任中国日报社常务副总编辑。主持《北京周末报》、《上海英文星报》的创办，均为第一任总编辑。1996-2011年任上海市人民政府新闻办公室副主任，1999年创办《上海日报》社，任总编辑至2013年。现为中国翻译协会常务理事、上海翻译家协会副会长、《东方翻译》主编、上海外国语大学新闻传媒学院客座教授等。
　　主要译作：《聊斋志异》（外文出版社，1995，合译）；《香港特别行政区基本法（草案）》（1988，合译）；《翻译服务规范》（起草委员会成员/组长/英文定稿，中国标准化出版社，2004-2006）；《中美关系史（1945－1949）》（资中筠著，美国哥大出版社，1991）；《法国大革命的历史启示》（张芝联著，北京大学出版社，1989）；《中国弹拨乐演奏》（马楠著，人民音乐出版社，1989）；《中国教育法》（中译英，高教出版社，1986）；《一个女记者的传奇》（英译中，新华出版社，1986，合译）等
Born in Shanghai in 1949, ZHANG Ciyun (Peter) graduated from Jilin Normal University, PRC with a major in English and later from Stanford University in the United States with a Master’s Degree in Journalism. Since 1980, he has worked for several newspapers and magazines in both Beijing and Shanghai. Also, he once served in the General Office of the Ministry of Communications as an interpreter and the Information Office of Shanghai Municipality as its Deputy General Director.
An acclaimed translator, reporter and editor, Mr. Zhang has helped bring into existence four English-language newspapers on the Chinese mainland, namely, China Daily, Beijing Weekend, Shanghai Star and Shanghai Daily. He is now the Editor-in-Chief Emeritus of Shanghai Daily and an executive council member of Translation Association of China. He has translated and co-translated more than a dozen books and a large amount of documents, including Strange Stories of Liao Zhai Studio and the English version of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. He has also published many English and Chinese articles and theses in newspapers and magazines both in China and overseas.

三 字 经 
Three Character Classic
千 字 文 
Thousand Character Classic
百 家 姓 
Hundred Family Surnames
周 易 
Book of Changes
考 工 记
The Records of Examination of Craftsmen
山 海 经 
The Classic of Mountains and Seas
四民月令 
Monthly Instructions for Four Classes of People
九章算术 
The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art
齐民要术 
Essential Techniques for the Welfare of the People
水 经 注 
Commentary on the Waterways Classic
缀 术 
The Method of Interpolation
食疗本草
Materia Medica for Dietotherapy
茶 经 
The Classic of Tea
酒 经
The Classic of Wine and Spirits
梦溪笔谈
Dream Pool Essays
授 时 历 
The Season-Granting Calendar
天工开物 
Tiangong Kaiwu Encyclopedia
农政全书
A Complete Treatise on Agriculture
黄帝内经
The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon
难 经
The Yellow Emperor’s Canon of 81 Difficult Issues
伤 寒 论 
Treatise on Cold Damage Disorders
千金要方
Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold
本草纲目
Compendium of Materia Medica
春 秋
The Spring and Autumn Annals
史 记 
Records of the Grand Historian
资治通鉴 
Comprehensive Mirror to Aid in Government
诗 经 
The Book of Songs
离 骚
The Lament
说文解字
Explaining and Analyzing Characters
文心雕龙 
The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons
唐 诗
Tang Poetry
宋 词
Song Lyric Poetry
西 厢 记
Romance of the West Chamber
窦 娥 冤 
The Injustice to Dou E
牡 丹 亭
The Peony Pavilion
西 游 记 
Journey to the West
水 浒 传
Water Margin
三国演义
Romance of the Three Kingdoms
红 楼 梦
A Dream of Red Mansions
金 瓶 梅
The Plum in the Golden Vase
聊斋志异
Strange Stories of Liaozhai
儒林外史
The Scholars
古文观止
The Ultimate Anthology of Ancient Prose
道 德 经
The Book of Virtue
论 衡 
Discourses Weighted in the Balance
盐 铁 论
Discourses on Salt and Iron
金 刚 经 
The Diamond Sutra
坛 经 
The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch
兰 亭 序 
Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion
孙子兵法 
The Art of War
三十六计
Thirty-Six Stratagems
徐霞客游记 
The Travelogue of Xu Xiake

Introduction
Throughout China’s long history, classic texts have played a vital role in shaping the country and influencing the daily lives of its people. They have provided academic learning, practical advice and instructions on how to live in harmony with man and nature. They have also given expression to hopes and dreams, joys and sorrows.
In this series of short articles, originally published in a weekly column in the English-language Shanghai Daily, we introduce classic texts spanning more than 3,000 years and covering everything from medicine, mathematics and military strategy to religion, literature, arts and travel.
These articles, written by Editor-in-Chief Emeritus Zhang Ciyun, are the stories of China’s classic texts: their indelible mark on the country and their enduring influence as seen in adaptations of modern writing and textbooks for students across the country.

在世界文明的阆苑里，中国传统文化是一块芬芳绚丽的园圃。她姹紫嫣红、千姿百态，其所蕴含的人生智慧、价值观念、道德理想、人生追求、境界情操以及对世界感知的方式，为我们提供了丰富的精神文化资源，成为中华文明长河中弥足珍贵的瑰宝。但如今，提起中国传统文化，成长于文化断层的现代人大多没有什么明晰的概念。他们或弃之为道德桎梏，或视其为洪水猛兽，不知其广，不晓其博，直至崇洋媚外、摧枯拉朽，空留一具崇洋媚俗的皮囊，里儿是空的。每想于此，总不由暗暗痛惜扼腕。

自上世纪80年代“文化寻根”运动之后，一系列与国学、传统文化相关的出版物相继印行，愈臻愈盛，虽不少出版社难免有卖弄风骚、投机趋利之嫌，但对于中国传统文化的重视，也不能不说是一个可喜的现象。然而，上海译文出版社，作为一个几十年来始终致力于“传播世界先进文化”的综合翻译类大社，此番推出英文版“中国传统文化经典系列”，将文化传播的焦点转移至传统文化的重塑和对外输出，不由令我耳目一新。

有幸拜读部分书稿，诚然是部颇具新意的巨作。全书分为《中国成语故事》、《中国神话故事》、《中国历史人物》、《中国历史著述》和《三十六计》5个分册，摘取灿若星河的中国传统文化中几颗最耀眼的星，全维度将涵盖了中国传统文化的各个面。她的表述方式也是有特色的，并非空中楼阁或避重就轻，而是精选浩瀚中国文化题材中*代表性、典型性、趣味性的故事，以通俗易懂的语言凝练而成，阅后如抿酽浓的甘茗，越品越有味。书页中的插画与故事相匹，图文并茂、生动传神。这套图书，既可作青年人普及文化经典、用英语传播中国传统文化之用，亦可作外国人走进中国、了解中国的钥匙。

非常欣悦能够看到这套丛书的面世，由衷感谢上海译文出版社在这套丛书的策划和出版上所做的努力。中国传统文化这块芬芳绚丽的园圃令人目迷，令人心醉，每一个徜徉其间的游客都会惊异于她的绚烂和多姿。我热切期望读者能够以通过这套书，以真、善、美的追求来认识她、欣赏她。毕竟，中国传统文化的未来，决定在我们。

 

                               ——郭可（上海外国语大学新闻学院院长、教授）

 

 

中国传统文化是一种具有深远影响的理性的文化。科技越是进步，人类文化水准越是提高，对于客观世界的认识能力越是增强，越有利于中国传统文化的传播。随着中国的迅速崛起，越来越多的国家和民族更希望了解博大精深的中国文化。党的“十八大”后提出中华民族伟大复兴的“中国梦”的战略思想，正是根植于中华民族优秀的历史传统文化，体现的不仅是中国人民的道路自信、理论自信和制度自信，也是文化自信。我以为，上海译文出版社英文版“中国传统文化经典系列”的策划，正是一种文化觉醒后的文化自信和民族自信。

这部丛书所讲述的故事及其时代背景，在中国传统文化中极具代表性，最能展现中华民族自力更生、自强不息、勤劳勇敢的精神风貌和对于宇宙、社会、生活和人的本质的哲学、科学思考，易于在普通外国读者中引起兴趣。此套丛书以英语为写作语言，以简洁凝练的笔触展示了中国文化的丰富多彩，对弘扬中国传统文化具有重要意义。

从“引进来”到“走出去”，这套丛书的策划，让我们看到的不仅是一个文化企业的成长，更是一个民族的成长。像我们这样一个伟大而有着特别悠久的文化历史的民族，绝不能对自己的文化财富一知半解；像我们这样一个对世界文明史做出重大贡献的卓越的民族，绝不能仅将自己的文化财富束之高阁。这套丛书的出版，将会提供让世界对中国传统文化有了更全面的认识的契机。相信，这类有重大意义的文化图书以后会越来越多，中华民族必将以更加自信的姿态屹立于世界文化之林，为实践中华民族伟大复兴的“中国梦”而奋斗不息。

 

——尹承东（中央编译局副局长）

三字经 
Three Character Classic
Making characters as easy as 1-2-3

“Three Character Classic” was one of the most popular texts for elementary education in China for more than 700 years until the middle of last century. Almost all children at school used to be required to recite the text of 1,248 Chinese characters in three-character verses for easy memorization.

Many historians have attributed this text to Wang Yinglin (1223-1296), a famous scholar of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). But they say that the version we see today was revised by later scholars because it contains content about history after the Southern Song Dynasty.

As a writer and scholar of Chinese classics and history, Wang obtained the title of “Presented Scholar,” a graduate of the Imperial Palace examination, at the age of 18. Three years later, he was appointed as an official of today’s Quzhou City in his home province
of Zhejiang in eastern China. The highest office Wang ever held was the Director of the Board of Rites in the Imperial Court.

It was said that Wang authored “Three Character Classic” in order to spread Confucian classics and knowledge of Chinese history among children. Therefore, he wrote the text both short and simple and arranged it all into three-character verses, very suitable
for reading and reciting.

As a result, even today, more than 60 years after it stopped being used as a text for primary schools, many people in China can still
recite some of its most readable verses.

“Three Character Classic” is divided into six parts, each focusing on a specific topic. It begins with four verses about the core belief of Confucianism:

“People at birth,
All innately kind.
Natures are alike,
But habits different.”

Then, it goes on to preach traditional Chinese values, such as to follow filial piety, to observe the proprieties, to respect teachers and to be diligent and to study hard.

It even mentions an ancient episode concerning Kong Rong (153-208 AD), a Han Dynasty writer and descendant of Confucius. As a boy of 10, Kong was asked to divide two pears between his younger brother and himself. Kong gave the bigger one to his brother while keeping a smaller one for himself.

The story has been told for centuries in China to encourage young students to take after Kong’s humbleness and generosity.

In addition to teaching children the basics of math, Chinese language, music and science, the text also lists titles of important
Chinese classics in Confucianism and works of other ancient philosophers.

The text tells students that before one begins to study Chinese history, he or she must first become versed in those classic master
works.

After expounding all kinds of knowledge and principles, the classic text tells students in conclusion that people studying and working hard will be eventually rewarded, while those who waste their time on play will regret of it one day.

Because of its rich content, beautiful verses and simple style, it was translated into Mongolian and Manchu languages during the
Yuan and Qing dynasties. In the early years of Meiji Reign (1868-1912), it was widely used as a text in private schools in Japan.
Later, it was also translated into English, French and Italian. 

Now, it has been listed by UNESCO as one of its recommended
children’s readings worldwide.

Later, people also tried to imitate the writing style of “Three Character Classic” to spread knowledge of specific subjects and
religions. So, for many hundreds of years, a good number of books have been published in China in the “three-character” style.

Titles include: “Three Character Classic for Females,” “Three Character Classic of Geology,” “Three Character Classic of
Medicine,” “Three Character Classic of Military,” “Three Character Classic of Buddhism” and “Three Character Classic of Taoism.”